How Peru, NY Improved Winter Roads: A Three‑Year Road Salt Success Story
“It required a culture change,” said Mike Farrell, Superintendent of the Peru, NY, Highway Department, reflecting on his team’s success in reducing road salt use by nearly two-thirds over the past three winters. Farrell noted that not only did his staff get on board with reducing salt use, but the public got behind their efforts as well. The highway crew has received thank-you notes, and members of the public have offered them coffee and donuts in recognition of their effort and successes.
Peru is located within Adirondack Park, a 6-million-acre region with contaminated groundwater wells and polluted lakes due to excessive road salt use over the past 50 years. Tyler Jarvis, Deputy Superintendent of the Peru, NY Highway Department, recalled the old mindset: open the plow truck gates and let salt flow freely onto the streets to keep roads clear during the winter months. At the time, staff estimated they were applying approximately 600 lbs of salt per lane-mile on the municipality's roads. After the first two winters of using sustainable salt practices, the staff averages about 115 lbs of road salt per lane-mile—a remarkable 80% reduction.
The successes of the Peru Highway Department are credited to guidance, trainings, and workshops offered by WIT Advisers, AdkAction, and the Lake George Association. Through these efforts, Farrell, Jarvis, and the crew learned sustainable salting practices.
For local nonprofit organizations, promoting reduced salt use was driven by concern for the environment and the damage observed over time. For the local community, protecting the environment was important, but reducing salt use also yielded significant cost savings. In the first year of implementing sustainable practices, salt expenses were reduced by $72,000. In the second year, use of sustainable practices resulted in $82,000 in savings. The third year is still underway.
The shift from a salt/sand mixture to a liquid salt/water mixture started unexpectedly. When a truck went out of service, Jarvis rigged up a salt/water sprayer on an available truck. After making a single pass on the road, he returned to the shop to find the rest of the crew waiting for results. The liquid-treated road was bare, while the others were still white with snow—evidence that the salt/sand mixture had yet to penetrate the snowy surface.
Today, the Peru, NY team pre-treats (anti-ices) their roads ahead of storms to help prevent the bond from forming between the ice/snow and the pavement, making it easier to plow snow when it falls. Farrell and Jarvis have reinvested their savings into new equipment to increase their ability to implement sustainable salting practices. The team now uses eight remote cameras that give them the ability to monitor road conditions without having to drive and manually inspect the roads, saving them thousands of hours and miles of driving. This practice allows Farrell to activate his team at any hour of the day based on the conditions. The shift in practices has brought even more benefits—the department now saves three weeks each spring that were previously spent sweeping leftover sand from the roads.
Interested in learning more about how Lake Champlain Sea Grant partners with scientists, winter maintenance professionals, municipalities, businesses, and residents to provide information about road salt? Check out "Salt Savvy Lake Champlain" for more resources and information.